Blood Changes With Natalizumab

A study led by Samia J. Khoury, MD, BWH Department of Neurology, discovered that the drug natalizumab (NTZ) lowers plasmacytoid dendritic cell (PDC) frequency by 25 percent to 50 percent in the peripheral blood of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). PDCs regulate the innate and adaptive immune responses by promoting antigen presentation and T cell activation.
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Promising Genetics-based Tumor Therapy

A research team led by Karen Cichowski, PhD, and Thomas DeRaedt, PhD, BWH Division of Genetics, identified a tumor suppressor that is mutated in nervous system malignancies, brain tumors and melanoma.
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A Connection Between Daily Activities and Brain Activity in Alzheimer’s Disease

A study led by Gad Marshall, MD, BWH Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, found that decreased glucose metabolism, indicating decreased activity, in specific brain regions demonstrated greater impairment in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) across early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
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A Melanoma Marker 

A study led by Christine G. Lian, MD, BWH Department of Pathology, suggests that the presence of 5-hydroxymethocytosine on biopsied sentinal lymph node cells might be a possible diagnostic marker for distinguishing between a benign nodal nevi and micrometastatic melanoma cells.
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